Thanksgiving
by Ladynero
Summary: Buzz teaches Wildwing and Mallory what Thanksgiving is about.


All the characters belong to Disney, but the plot is mine. I decided to write this when I   
was trapped at a relative's house for Thanksgiving.   
  
This story is dedicated to everyone who has ever been trapped at a relatives house for   
Thanksgiving and has been bored stupid with nothing to do except sit around and listen   
to the grown-ups chat about "way-back-when" and try hard not to fall asleep.   
  
Thanksgiving   
By: Tazura Avey   
  
Mallory looked up from her book as the door opened to reveal Buzz's short form.   
"Hey, Buzz," she called. "How's everything going?"   
"Okay, I guess," he replied, sitting down next to her with his head in his hands.   
She frowned and put her book off to one side. "What's wrong?" she asked, putting   
her arm around his shoulders.   
"Mallory, do you know about Thanksgiving?" asked Buzz, gazing up at her.   
"Not really," she confessed. "Except all the stores are having sales for it."   
Buzz's face fell. "It's an American holiday," he explained. "Most businesses close   
down for the weekend, because relatives gather at someone's house, eat a large feast, and   
settle down to gossip or watch football games. Unbridled Tech. closed today and   
Thanksgiving's tomorrow."   
She nodded understandingly. "This is your first Thanksgiving alone, isn't it?" she   
asked gently, remembering that he didn't like talking about the accident. HE nodded and   
she smiled. "I have an idea. Why don't you teach me about this thanksgiving. Feast and all."   
He looked at her, surprised. "Are you sure about this?" he asked amazed. Mallory   
nodded and Buzz smiled. "Get your check book because it's time to go shopping!" he cried,   
jumping up. She laughed and they started towards the elevator.   
Along the way, they ran into Wildwing. "What's going on?" he asked, amused to see   
Mallory being practically drug down the hall by someone half her size.   
"Mallory's going to help me cook a Thanksgiving feast for you guys," exclaimed   
Buzz, his face alive with excitement.   
At Wildwing's puzzled look, Mallory grabbed his arm. "C'mon," she invited. "I'm   
sure we could use another warm body." Together, the odd trio left for the grocery store.   
  
Duke glanced up as Wildwing, Buzz, and Mallory stumbled past him with bags loaded   
in their arms. "Dare I ask what all of that is for?" he inquired, placing his hands on his   
hips. Before they could reply, he raised his hands to silence them. "On second thought, I   
don't want to know." He continued down the hall and Wildwing and Mallory looked at each   
other before laughing.   
"Let's get this stuff into the kitchen before I start dropping it," advised Buzz,   
shifting his bags around to a more comfortable position. The ducks followed the boy into   
the kitchen where they deposited their bags on the table and began unpacking everything.   
Wildwing glanced at the mound of food that was piling up on the table. "So when   
do we start working on all of this stuff?' he asked, shoving the cold food into their   
refrigerator.   
Buzz's face grew thoughtful. "Well, my mom always said that the turkey takes six   
hours for a twenty-five pounder," he remarked thoughtfully. "So do you want to have a feast   
for lunch or dinner?"   
"Dinner," replied Wildwing and Mallory nodded in agreement.   
"Okay, than the turkey goes in about noon," muttered Buzz, thinking outloud. "While   
that's cooking, we can work on the other stuff." The two ducks nodded and once everything   
was put away, the trio left the kitchen with Buzz telling the two Puckworlders all about   
the Thanksgiving Holiday.   
  
The next day, after lunch, Wildwing, Mallory and Buzz began the long process of   
transforming the food into a feast. Buzz had prepared the turkey and shoved it in the oven   
marking down the time it went in on a piece of paper before he taped it to the fridge door.   
Then he told Wildwing to chop the vegetables while he helped Mallory fix a few of the other   
dishes.   
"And that is how the Thanksgiving holiday got started," concluded Buzz, not looking   
up from the pudding he was mixing. "You guys have any holidays on Puckworld?"   
Wildwing glanced at the boy. "Just Winter Solustus," he replied. "It was the first   
snowfall of the year. Everyone got out their skates and enjoyed themselves in the snow.   
Dive, Canard and I would always have a three-way snowball fight before playing a game of   
hockey."   
"I remember my last Winter Solustus before I joined the Military," mused Mallory,   
her eyes distant. "My brother and two of his friends had built snow forts and were trying   
to decide whose team I was going to be on. It ended up being Jack and me against John, my   
brother, and Frank. It was so much fun. They would hurl snowballs at our fort and I kept   
packing the snow onto our walls, making them thicker while Jack slowly punched holes in J   
ohn's fort. John and Frank were so surprised when their fort fell down first, but John   
laughed later when he was telling our parents about it." Tears filled her green eyes and   
she blinked them away, but not before Wildwing saw them.   
"What's wrong?" he asked, softly, hoping she would tell him.   
Mallory brushed angrily at the tears that escaped down her cheeks. "I never told   
anyone this," she confessed. "When Dragaunus invaded, my parents and John were captured. I   
was stationed in another country at the time and managed to get away with most of my team. My   
family was sent to a mining camp and I learned a week before our final attack on Dragaunus's   
Master Tower that all of them had died when the mine they were working in collapsed on   
them." Tears ran freely down her face as she looked up at Wildwing. "My uncle had to tell   
me that his brother was dead."   
Wildwing wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his shirt. He   
gently stroked her hair as her grief ran out with her tears. When she was finished, she   
smiled up at Wildwing and turned back to the casserole she was fixing.   
"It was kinda like that for me too," Buzz said, glancing up. "My parents were on   
their way back from a second honeymoon in the mountains when a truck came out of the fog   
without its lights on and in the middle of the road. The police say my dad had to swerve   
to avoid the creep and accidentally went off the road, flipping the car and killing both   
of them instantly. After the funeral, I packed all of my things and some momentums and   
had to move to Unbridles Technologies while the house was sold and the rest of my parent's   
possessions were split up among the relatives." He shrugged. "The rest you know."   
Sighing, Wildwing finished dicing the potatoes and dumped them in a pot. "My   
parents were captured by the drones, too," he stated, staring into the boiling water.   
"Dive and I were on our way to a mining camp when Canard recruited us. I wish I knew   
what happened to Mom and Dad." He looked at Mallory and Buzz. "That's the worst. Hoping   
someone you love is alive but not knowing one way or the other. Dive and I were split   
up for several months and that was all I did besides survive, worry about him and our   
parents."   
Mallory suddenly smiled. "Now I've got a younger brother and an older brother   
to tease," she remarked. "Nosedive and Duke. Just wish it would snow here, then we could   
team up against them, Wing."   
Wildwing laughed. "I miss the snow and ice too," he replied. "The only time I've   
felt comfortable on this planet is when you and Grin were out guarding that launch and   
the rest of us had to put up with both Dragaunus and his goons but alien invaders with   
a weather machine."   
"So that's how Dive got a freezer full of snowballs," mused Mallory. "I wondered about   
that."   
"They didn't last long," confessed Wildwing. "Seems he forgot to plug the freezer in   
and they all melted." The three of them laughed for several minutes before turning back to t   
heir tasks. Soon, delicious smells began to fill the kitchen and the trio had everything   
ready for when the turkey came out of the oven.   
"You're kidding?" gasped Mallory, tears streaming down her face from laughing long.   
"Dive actually decked Canard just because Canard checked you into the boards?"   
Wildwing nodded and took another drink of his water. "That's how we met," he   
replied. "Canard was on the opposite team and I had just recovered from a broken leg when   
he checked me. Dive skated over and punched Canard, knocking him cold. That was when I   
decided that I was better as a goalie than a forward. Later, Dive apologized to Canard and   
since then, they managed to get along tolerably."   
"How did you break your leg?" asked Buzz, his head propped up in his hand. They   
had been trading funny stories for several minutes.   
Wildwing blushed and ducked his head bashfully. "I fell off my dad's icesled," he   
confessed.   
Mallory whistled. "You're lucky you only broke your leg," she replied seriously.   
"Those things can fly across the ice, given enough power."   
"You don't understand," he clarified. "It was parked in front of our house when   
I fell off of it." Mallory looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds before she   
started laughing again. After a bit, Wildwing joined her.   
Buzz smiled when he suddenly glanced up at the clock. "Ohmygosh!" he cried, jumping   
up. "The turkey!" He grabbed a couple of potholders and turned the oven off before pulling   
the turkey out. Mallory tossed a few potholders on the table and Buzz placed the hot dish   
down. "Okay, we just have to set the table and put the other dishes out and we're ready to eat."   
Wildwing pulled some plates out of the cupboard and heard Mallory giggling behind   
him. "What?" he asked, curiously as he turned to look at her.   
"You've got a white handprint on your jeans," she managed to get out between laughs   
and Buzz was grinning wildly. Twisting around, Wildwing saw a white hand contrasting sharply   
with the dark blue of his jeans and shook his head as he wiped most of the flour off.   
Suddenly, Nosedive walked into the kitchen. "What's going on in here?" he asked,   
smiling mischievously. "You guys have been locked in here since lunch."   
"Go get the others, Baby Bro," ordered Wildwing as he carried dishes to the table.   
"Tell them that dinner's ready."   
Nosedive looked at the food on the table. "Think there's enough for everyone?" he   
inquired before Mallory heaved a potholder at him. Nosedive dodged the potholder and   
slipped out of the kitchen before Mallory could get her hands on something heavier.   
The other ducks arrived a few minutes later with Nosedive bringing up the rear and   
Duke whistled at the sight of the food as he sat down. "What's all this for?" he asked as   
the ducks sat down with him.   
Buzz spoke up. "It's part of an American Holiday called Thanksgiving," he explained.   
"Basically, it's the celebration of a bunch of people surviving their first winter in America   
when they ran out of food and found help in a very unlikely source. The settlers were called   
pilgrims and the Indians, or Native Americans as they're now called, brought them enough food   
to last them through the winter." He waved his hands over the table. "Basically, every   
household in America cooks a lot of food to recreate the feast and has a bunch of relatives   
over."   
"Let's get started," exclaimed Nosedive. "I doubt this food is going to stay hot   
long." The other ducks laughed and began dishing out the food. Sitting back in his chair,   
Wildwing let his gaze wander around the table and smiled as he realized he had a lot to be   
thankful for. They had Dragaunus in hiding; Puckworld was free; and they had each other.   
Mallory nudged him and handed him the mashed potatoes with a knowing smiled.   
"Here. Better take some before Nosedive eats everything in sight," she offered.   
"I heard that!" cried Nosedive from the other end of the table. The entire table   
erupted in laughter and Wildwing took the mashed potatoes from Mallory as he let himself   
be surrounded by lively the lively chatter of people who had come to mean much to him.   
  
The End   
  
--------------------   
The Mighty Ducks are the property of Disney but the plot is all MINE! This   
story is basically about Duke and everything that hasn't been seen in any of   
the episodes or is a fact due to said episodes is made up by me for a   
hopefully exciting story. Please e-mail me and tell me what you think of   
it. This story takes place after "To Catch A Duck". 


End file.
